US1183719A - Automatic air-coupling. - Google Patents

Description

"c. H. M. BIRD.

AUTOMATIC AIR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29| 1914.

Patented May16,1916.

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C. H. M. BIRD.

AUTOMATIOAIR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1914.

Patented May16, 1916.

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APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1914.

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Patented May16, 1916.

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Wihacooaoi- THE COLUMBlA PLANQGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D. i

ionrr" CHARLES H. M. BIRD, DE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC AIR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1916.

Application filed April 29, 1914. Serial No. 835,295.

1 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. BIRD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Autoprovision of an air coupler as specified which.

has associated therewith a bleeding valve which will be automatically operated by the action of the coupler for instantaneously bleeding the air line upon the disconnection of the cars.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention consists in such novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved automatic air coupler, Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view through the coupler showing the air line passage controlling valve closed and the bleeding valve open. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal sectional view through the improved air coupler, showing the air passage controlling valve open and the bleeding valve closed, or the position in which the various parts of the coupler are when the cars upon which the couplers are mounted are coupled one with the other, Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 2, Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view on the line 66 of Figs. 1 andB, and Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view on the line 7-7 of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 designates the outer casing of the air coupler, which is cylindrical in cross section, and has an enlarged end 2 formed thereupon, which end is provided with internal screw threads 3 for connection with a pipe (not shown) which is carried by a railway car or coach, and forms a part of the an line thereof.

The other end of the casing 1 has a pair of bosses 4 and 5 formed thereupon and disposed diametrically opposite to each other. The bosses 4 and 5 are provided with longitudinally extending openings 6 and 7, in which openings are slidably seated the pins 8 and 9, which pins have their ends 10 enlarged so as to prevent the complete movement of the pins through the openings, and to hmit the movement of the pins within the openings 6 and 7 The pins 8 and 9 pro- 1801? out of the bosses 4 and 5 and have their pro ect1ng ends enlarged or provided with heads 11 and 12, the heads 11 and 12 of the pins 8 and 9 being inserted in openings 14, which openings are formed in the annular collar 15, which collar is formed upon the inner end of the bumper 16. Coil springs 17 and 18 are mounted about the pins 8 and 9, and have their ends engaging the forward terminal ends of the bosses 4and 5 and heads 11 and 12 of the pins 8 and 9, tending to hold the collar 15 in an extended position with respect to the bosses and the pipe or casing 1. The heads 11 and 12 of the pins 8 and 9 are held properly positioned within the openings 14 by bolts or pins 19, which pins are inserted transversely through the head and are mounted in openings 20, which openings extend through the collar 15 transversely to the openings 14, and are of greater length than the diameter of the pins, so as to permit of a certain amount of lost motion of the pins within the collar 15.

The bumper 16 hasa plurality of fingers or tongues 21 formed upon its outer face and extending entirely about the circumference of the same, which fingers are adapted for connection with similar fingers carried by another coupler (not shown) so as to form a firm connection between the two couplers upon separate cars (not shown).

The bumper 16 is provided with a pair of diametrically oppositely disposed slots 22 and 23, which slots have seated therein the terminal ends of a rod 24. The rod 24 extends diametrically across the bumper 16, and it has connected thereto a rod 25, which rod extends transversely to the rod 24, and is connected to a valve cone 26, which valve cone is seated in the valve seat 27 formed within the casing 1, and near the terminal end of the casing, upon which the bosses 4 and 5 are mounted. The valve cone 26 controls the passage of the air through the casing 1, and consequently through the various pipes of the air line of a train (not shown). The cone valve 26 has a ring 28 similar to an ordinary piston ring seated in an annular extending groove, which ring is provided for taking up the wear occasioned by the frictional contact between the cone and the walls or sides of the valve seat 27. The end of the casing 1, in which the valve seat 27 is formed, has extending therefrom an annular rim or flange 30, which rim is connected in any suitable manner to a length of flexible tubing 31, which flexible tubing is connected to the bumper 16 and has the rod 24 extending through openings 32 formed therein; the flexible tubing 31 forms a connection between the bumper l6 and the casing 1, so as to complete a connection between air couplers carried by separate railway cars.

The cone valve 26 has secured to its inner or rear end a rod 33, which rod has a cone 34 mounted thereupon, and extends entirely through the casing 1, being slidably seated in a guideway 35 formed in the block 36. The block 36 is adjustably seated in the end of the casing 1, which is provided with the internal screw threads 3, and the block is provided with external screw threads which engage the internal screw threads 3 for the proper adjustment of the block within the casing.

The casing 1 has formed thereupon an auxiliary casing 40, which auxiliary casing is provided with a valve seat 42 in which is seated a cone valve 43 for controlling the passage of air from the casing 1 into the casing 40. The cone Valve 43 has a stem 44 projecting downwardly therefrom and into the casing 1, which stem has its lower terminal end engaging the side of the cone 34, which is carried by the rod 33.

The valve stem 45, which projects upwardly from the upper end of the cone valve 43 is slidably seated in a collar 46, which collar is detachably mounted within the upper open end of the casing 40, so that access may be gained to the interior of the casing for reconstruction of the valve or the like. A spiral spring 47 is coiled about the valve stem 45, and has one end thereof engaging the upper edge of the cone valve 43, while the other end engages the collar 46 and it tends to hold the cone valve 43 securely seated within the valve seat 42 at all times, except when the cone valve is forced upwardly in the valve seat by the cone 34.

The casing 40 is provided with a plurality of spaced openings 48 formed in the outer surface of the same, which openings are provided for the purpose of permitting the egress of air out of the casing 40 and consequently out of the casing 1 through the valve seat 42, for bleeding the air system upon disconnection of any one of the cars or coaches of which the train is formed.

In the operation of the improved automatic air coupler: When a train, or two cars on a train, which are equipped with the improved automatic air coupler as specified are coupled together, the bumping or coupling of the cars will cause the bumpers 16 to engage each other, placing the prongs or fingers 21 in interlocking relation one with the other, and the bumping of the cars and the bumpers 16 together, will compress or crimp the flexible connection 31, and force the bumper l6 inwardly toward the casing 1, which will move the rod 25, through movement of the rod 24, thereby moving the valve cone 26 longitudinally within the casing 1 and opening the passage of air through the valve seat 27, permitting of the connection of the air line between the various coaches or cars which are being coupled together. The compressing of the flexible connection 31 also compresses the springs 17 and 18, forcing the rods 8 and 9 longitudinally within theopenings 6 and 7, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The movement of the valve cone 26 within the casing 1 will also move the cone 34, which is carried by the rod 33, causing the stem or pin 44 to slide along the declining upper surface of the cone 34 and permitting the spring 47 to close the passage between the casings l and 40, to prevent the egress of air out of the casing 1 through the bleed valve casing 40.

Immediately upon the uncoupling of the meeting cars of the train, the separation of the cars will move the bumpers 16 from engagement with each other, at which time the springs 17 and 18 will force the buifers outwardly away from the casing 1, moving the valve cone 26 within the casing and seating the same in the valve seat 27 and preventing the passage of air into the casing l. During the closing sliding movement of the valve cone 26, the stem 44 will move upwardly along the inclined surface of the cone 34 and it will force the valve 43 upwardly against the tension of the spring, opening the communication between the casing 1 and the casing40, for permitting the air which is contained within the air pipes carried by the car to pass out of the casing 1 through the opening 42 and out of the bleed valve casing 40 through the openings 48, thereby automatically bleeding the air system of the train. Thebleed valve is constructed so that the air will gradually bleed from the casing 1, in unsufficient quantities to apply the brakes to the train.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation of the improved automatic air coupler will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, and, while in the foregoing description, the principle of the operation of this invention has been described, together with various features of construction, it is to be understood that certain minor features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be altered to suit practical conditions provided such alterations are comprehended within the scope of what is claimed.

What is claimed is 1. In an automatic air coupler, a casing having communication with the air line pipes of a railway car, a cone valve carried by said casing and operable longitudinally within the casing for controlling ingress of air thereinto, a bumper yieldably connected to said casing, means connecting said bumper and said cone valve whereby the latter will be moved for permitting the ingress of air into the casing upon the inward yielding movement of said bumper, and means carried by said casing operatively connected to said bumper for automatically forcing it outwardly and cutting oif the ingress of air into said casing.

2. In an automatic air coupler, a casing having communication with the air line pipes of a railway car, a cone valve carried by said casing and operable longitudinally upon the casing for controlling the ingress of air thereinto, a bumper yieldably connected to said casing, means connecting said bumper and said cone valve whereby the latter may be moved for permitting the ingress of air into the casing upon the inward yielding movement of said bumper, means carried by said casing operatively connected to said bumper for automatically forcing it outwardly and cutting oif ingress of air into said casing, and a bleeding valve carried by said casing and controllable by the sliding movement of the cone valve for antomatlcally bleeding said casing upon the closing movement of said cone valve.

3. In an automatic air coupler, a casing having communication with the air line pipes of a railway car, a cone valve slidably seated in said casing and controlling the ingress of and passage of air into and through said casing, a bumper yieldably connected to one end of said casing, means connecting said bumper and said cone valve whereby said cone valve will be moved for permitting the ingress of air into said casing upon the inward yieldable movement of said bumper, means carried by said casing and connected to said bumper for automatically forcing it outwardly and moving said cone valve and cutting off the ingress of air into said casing, a rod connected to the inner end of said cone valve and extending lon gitudinally through said casing, a cone carried by said rod, a bleed valve formed upon said casing and having an inwardly projecting stem engaging the surface of said cone whereby the bleed valve will be automatically operated upon movement of said cone valve.

4. In an automatic air coupler, a casing communicating with the air line pipe of a railway car, means carried by said casing for controlling the ingress of air thereinto, saidmeans operable upon the coupling of two railway cars for permitting ingress of air into said casing, a bleed valve associated with said casing having a stem projecting radially into said casing, a cone slidable longitudinally in said casing and controlled by said first named means, for controlling the operation of said bleeding valve.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. M. BIRD.

l/Vitnesses:

HUGH M. LOWE, J. CHASE.

Copies of this patent may be Obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 1). c.

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